


Algerian Dream

by Black_Celebration



Category: Amnesia The Dark Descent - Fandom, Frictional Games
Genre: Amnesia the Dark Descent, Gen, Horror, Nightmares, Prequel, Summer, frictional games - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:08:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26026975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Black_Celebration/pseuds/Black_Celebration
Summary: I was so young and naive. But who could see what would happen? You never know that you are cursed, until the rope of damnation is tightening around your neck…Daniel knew that something isn't right, and his future is damned. My work for Frictional Fan Jam: Summer Writing Jam 2020. Based on Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and my imagination. Enjoy!
Kudos: 1





	Algerian Dream

When I was getting ready for this trip in London, I had no idea how much it would change in my life. The summer in England that year was rainy, and the opportunity to go to a sunny country was so tempting that I couldn’t reject it. I was so young and naive. But who could see what would happen? You never know that you are cursed, until the rope of damnation is tightening around your neck…

Well, I didn’t expect all the heat. Algeria welcomed me with scorching sun and strong wind. August wasn’t the best month for archeological expeditions. We should come here in autumn, when the weather is more bearable. I barely came from the harbor to the place, where I was supposed to stay for two weeks. My friend, who came a day before me, was kind enough to escort me to the door. I would be lost without him. I got used to moving around in urbanized areas. You can’t lose yourself in Paris or Florence for too long, if you navigate by looking at characteristic buildings. London for many foreigners seems like an endless labyrinth, but as I was raised there, I had a city under my skin. It was a surprise for my family, when I chose archeology in university. Of course if you think about it seriously, you must be prepared to leave the comfort of the city and set off into the unknown. “You haven’t even been in the countryside! You know that there will be more dangerous creatures than sewage rats?” my father laughed. Well, maybe that’s why I wanted to change something. Travelers’ stories sounded both delightful and terrifying. I could picture myself in a hostile environment making a monumental discovery. You must be brave to do such a thing. The bravery wasn’t in my nature, so I had to push myself even more to choose this kind of career in the first place. I’ve always thought that everything else will come naturally.   
But on that day, choking on sand in this unfriendly country, I questioned all my life decisions.  
“How was your trip?” Jonas asked, when we came into the quiet street.  
“Oh, quite good actually. Thank God, that I don’t have sea sickness, it would be a complete disaster!”   
Jonas only nodded. It wasn’t the shortest distance and many passengers for a few first days were indisposed. It's kind of funny when you hear about it from other people, but not when you're the main character in this story.   
“There was a terrible storm when we left Europe’s water, I thought I would die there. But after all it wasn’t that bad, the temperature here is a killer” he laughed. I would laugh too, but with all the sweat coming down my spine, I wanted only a glass of water and some rest. Luckly, the so-called hotel was nearby. It didn’t not stand out from other buildings, but the sign said clearly that it was our destination. I stayed with my friend, and I had to admit that he chose a splendid room. From the first minute I felt so comfortable there, even if its aesthetic was rather minimalistic.   
“We can go sightseeing tomorrow, and then we will go to the archeological site in the desert. Johanan and Herbert aren’t back from the nearby town yet” my friend said, lying down on his bed.   
“D-desert?” I didn’t want to go there so fast. “I thought I would have some time to get used to these crazy temperatures..”   
“Don’t worry, Daniel. I spoke with locals, and it’s not that bad as it sounds. They said that we should be more scared of demons who live there.”  
Jonas was a big fan of supernatural stories. I think that he was into archeology only because we wanted to prove that his assumptions were right.   
“Demons! Ha! I bet they made out this story just to make this place for attractive for tourists”  
I saw just a sad smile on Jonas’ face.   
“You never know…” he said under his nose.

That night my horror started as soon as I closed my eyes. 

_I had a vivid, very realistic nightmare. I was here, in this land forgotten by every good spirit, out in the desert. The moon and stars shined bright down at me, but their light was bloody red. The wind blew in my face, and the sound it made was terrifying to the bone. The coldness of the night numbed my body, but I felt that my legs were weaker and weaker, in addition to that they were shaking so bad, I could barely make another step. After some I started to sink in the sand. I was completely helpless, and when I opened my eyes just to look at the moon the last time before I died, I saw t h e m. At first their terribly deformed faces, with piercing eyes. Then their unnaturally long arms trying to reach my neck. I heard nothing but my bloodstream in my ears, when they took away my breath…_

And then I woke up and saw Jonas’ scared face in front of me.   
“What did you see?” he asked with a shaking voice. I swallowed painfully, my throat was completely dry.  
“Uh, some kind of monsters… I was in the desert… This place almost killed me!”  
“I saw the same, but… From a distance. Monsters were after me, until they found new target”  
There wasn’t too much light in the room, but I saw fear in his eyes. He was always more sensitive and believed in weird magical things.   
“We have to be tired, all the climate change and long travel…” I started to comfort him, even though I didn’t feel safe at all.   
“Yeah… I guess we are just tired. But this place has peculiar energy”.   
“We should focus on our goal. We’re scientists, and all those myths aren’t our thing, right?”  
He didn’t reply. He lied with his eyes open, staring at the ceiling. I got out of bed, and took a glass of water.   
To my surprise, the moon’s reflection in water was all red.

Jonas wasn’t himself in the morning. I didn’t want him to go alone to the city, but he claimed that he was fine, only a bit weaker from the lack of proper sleep last night. Jonas promised me sightseeing but he was acting strange, so I didn't want to push him and I couldn’t stop him. I couldn’t stop my anxiety either. I needed fresh air. After breakfast I decided to wander around. I saw people rushing down the street, stalls full of fruits and vegetables, kids playing and chasing each other. I could feel anxiety leaving my body. I couldn't stop smiling when I saw the ordinary beauty of everyday life. People were watching but it didn't bother me that much. They probably weren't used to foreigners. I needed only a place to hide from the sun. Then, all of sudden, I saw a book shop. It looked like it didn’t belong here, but I needed to go somewhere to hide. The calming smell of paper hit me right away when I entered the shop. The owner nodded when he saw me, and went back to reading. I sunk into bookshelves immediately. The antiquarian bookshop looked completely out of place. I would rather expect to find it in London than here. I love books so I started to look through them. A few caught my eye, for instance "The Bizarre Adventures of Philip Buchanon". The cover seemed like it could be a science fiction horror, but I'd like to give it a try. It might be a coincidence but I noticed quite a lot of books about magic and old legends. People here must be really interested in such things. The shop didn't pay attention to my presence, so I found something to sit on and started reading. I wanted to know if that dream I had is somehow connected to this place or it's just a product of my dark subconsciousness. There were unsettling, even horrifying stories but nothing similar to what I saw last night. I sighted and put books at their place. I didn’t know what to think about all of this. Why did my imagination all of a sudden produce those nightmares? I’ve never really had nightmares, even when I was a child. I didn’t believe that dreams have special meaning or anything. Maybe I was just tired… It all would pass… I hoped...  
The owner gave me only a quick look before I left. It was late so I hurried back to the hotel. I ate lunch and waited in our room for Jonas and the rest of our crew. They arrived in the evening. Jonas looked better than in the morning. We all had a talk about everything and nothing. I was glad to see my friends, but when they left the anxiety builded in my stomach. I was scared of what will happen at night. 

_Dark, cold castle wrapped its hand around me. I had only a small lantern with weak light. It wasn’t much, but I would freak out without it. I felt dizzy and needed to blink a few times to get used to darkness. What is this place? How did I get myself here? I heard water from the distance, echoing in the corridors. I was lost. Lost and completely alone. I got up and headed up the stairs. Every turn, every step seems just like the one before. I pushed a few doors. I don’t know if I’d be more scared to find something in there, or happy to see the face of another human… But what if humans were an even worse option… Those thoughts stopped me from opening other doors and I just walked as quiet as I could hoping to get out of this. Then I heard the sound. I couldn’t tell what was that. I ran as fast as I could. I felt my heartbeat in my ears. But they were quicker… Much quicker…_

The next day I remember as through the fog. I was tired. Not too tired to keep my eyes open, but tired enough not to think clearly. The hours were slipping by, the heat and completely different climate than I was used to didn’t help me at all. Everything here was too hot, too strange, too intense. I wish I could never come to this land. I felt like losing my mind, even though anything really happened…   
“What do you think, Daniel?” I met Herbert’s eyes when I looked up. I switched uncomfortably in my seat, not knowing what they were discussing.   
“Uh, excuse me, I-I got lost in my thoughts.”  
“You don’t look well. Are you sure that everything is fine?”  
“Yes, I’m just a little… tired. I haven't slept well since I came here.”  
“No one of us has, my friend, but we are here for much longer than you.”  
I gazed at him for a moment.   
“Pardon?”  
“Johnatan and I came here a week ago, and we started our exploration earlier. I know that we had different agreements but I couldn’t help myself, I heard a call from the desert… We thought that if we find something, you two could still help us. There’s always work to do. Tomb of Tin Hinan is a very interesting place and we all could benefit from searching it thoroughly. Anyway… We indeed found something.”  
Jonas was looking at the tops of his shoes. Jonathan was drinking whiskey, like he usually did, but his face was almost gray and has unhuman tension painted all over it.   
“What was it?”  
Henrik slowly took his bag and found a spherical shape wrapped in silk. I already knew it had to be something precious since it was handled with the highest care. The air in the room grew thick and vibrated ominously. I had to fight the urge to run away. What was wrong with me?  
“Here it is. An orb.”  
Then I saw it. It shone bright, too bright to properly look at.   
“Can you see how beautiful it is?” Henrik's voice sounded eerie. I swallowed hard.   
“Oh, it’s the most wonderful thing on Earth!”  
I closed my eyes, and tried to tense all the muscles but it didn’t prevent them from shaking.   
“TAKE IT! FEEL ITS POWER!”   
I couldn’t take this anymore. I only wanted to escape. My body started to fall apart, I wasn’t myself any more.   
“It’s our destiny!”  
Trapped inside the darkness I wanted to yell, and I couldn’t. I heard laughter. Evil and deep laugher. Last breath left my lungs and I silently hit the floor. 

* * *

When I opened my eyes I saw Jonas’ worried face.   
“Thanks God! You’re awake!” he leaned closer to me.   
“Where am I?” I tried to look around, but pain pinned me down to the pillow immediately.   
“In St. John’s Hospital. You fainted and didn’t regain consciousness for a whole week.”   
Cold shiver ran down my spine. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. 

_A whole week. I was unconscious for seven bloody days._

“How did it happen?” I asked.   
“I-I don’t know, I wasn’t there…” Jonas blushed a bit. “Herbert found you and called the ambulance. He came to your house, because you two were supposed to meet. Door was open, so he came in, and you were lying on the floor. Oh, he told me that he found something weird next to you.” 

Something weird. 

“What was it?” I asked and my mouth became completely dry. I heard like Jonas inhaled loudly. He was always interested in magic and occultism. He knew.   
“An orb.” 

_An orb… It found me! I wasn’t there, it was only a dream… We haven’t gone to Algeria yet, but somehow I got it. How? HOW?!_

_I’m doomed._

_It has found me. It’s haunting me through time and space._

_Forever._

“Daniel? Daniel! My friend, what’s -”

I didn’t hear the rest. Darkness welcomed me in its calming nothingness. I knew it wasn’t over. It was only the beginning of my torment.


End file.
